People have been known to hunt all through the night looking for them. In ancient Chinese medicine, these were known as a miraculous cure for many diseases. They grow on the sides of trees, in decomposing mulch, and in your very own garden. What exactly is this renowned food item? Mushrooms, a tasty, healthy addition to many dishes that people all over the world have loved for centuries. So, how are mushrooms good for you?  Take a look at the following mushroom species to see how the benefits of eating mushrooms can increase your health.

Portobello

Even though these mushrooms are the most commonly found species in supermarkets and grocery stores, that doesn’t mean they lack important health benefits. These mushroom types contain significant amounts of antioxidants and vitamin B, helping boost immune activity and white blood cell health. These mushrooms are inexpensive, easy to include in many different dishes, and easy to find, making them the perfect mushroom for your kitchen.

Shiitake

This popular addition in Asian dishes is becoming an increasingly popular food to work with in many kitchens around the world. Interestingly, Shiitake mushrooms contain lentinan, a compound that works to strengthen your immune system by increasing white blood cell and antibody function.

Morels

Morels are popular among chefs and mushroom hunters alike. If you think that these mushrooms might grow in your area, look for them in areas that have experienced a forest fire within the recent past. But why are these good additions to your meals? Morels contain low levels of sodium and fat. Just make sure to cook them well before eating, as the caps contain low levels of toxic compounds that can cause intestinal tract problems.

Photo by Laurel Fan

Maitake

This species of mushroom is jammed pack full of many healthy compounds and properties. Mostly used in medicine, maitake mushrooms boost immune system function while also fighting infection and promoting a healthy digestive tract. Go ahead and add these mushrooms to many dishes, although finding them in your area may be a challenge.

Oyster

Oyster mushrooms are extremely beneficial health-wise as they tout many different properties from fighting cancer to lowering unhealthy cholesterol. Oyster mushrooms also contain lovastatin, a compound used in many prescription drugs today. Although eating this mushroom should not be a replacement for any vital drugs you are taking, consider adding these mushrooms to your diet for a natural upkeep of your body’s systems.

The Danger of Mushrooms

While mushrooms are an easy, tasty, and fun part of any meal, be careful gathering them yourself. There are mushrooms that are safe to eat and there are mushrooms that are deadly. Edible mushrooms that grow in certain environments can even become poisons to a certain extent. That’s why knowing where and how your mushrooms are gathered are important. When securing mushrooms for your kitchen, take into consideration the following:

Where are they from? Always buy mushrooms from a reputable grocery store and stay away from mushrooms where you can’t call the company or farm from where they were grown. When gathering mushrooms in the wild, always take a guide or guidebook with you.

How are they packed? Again, you should have contact information printed on the label of the mushrooms you buy. Stay away from vendors who sell multiple species of mushrooms in one container.

How do they appear? Is there one unusually shaped or colored mushroom in a sea of regular ones? Stay away from oddballs or oddly discolored mushrooms. Often, poisonous mushrooms can sneak into edible mushroom packaging.

The Right Mushroom for Your Meal

So, are mushrooms good for you? The answer is yes! Mushrooms can provide a variety of different health benefits that range from species to species. They commonly increase immune function and can even ward off infection, so feel free to start adding mushrooms to your diet. Just be cautious when purchasing this food item, as one poisonous mushroom can mean sickness and even death.

It’s not uncommon for people to overreact when they find out that they have high cholesterol. They may try to fix the situation as quickly as possible, but it’s important to be realistic about the situation. Cholesterol has built up in your system over many years and there is no way you’re going to find overnight answers. You might have to unlearn bad habits that you’ve been doing for a long time, and it’s not always easy to develop healthy new ones. If you are serious about solving your cholesterol problem it’s absolutely essential to stay in touch with your physician and get regular updates about your cholesterol levels. It’s very difficult to do on your home, and you definitely don’t want to accidentally stray off path and make the situation worse. The good news is there are some simple things you can do on a daily basis to improve your cholesterol situation quickly.

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body, not to mention for your cholesterol. It helps to balance out your inner chemistry in addition to keeping your system running like clockwork. It’s important to remember that every part of your body is intimately connected so it’s important to make sure everything is in working order. The best way to do that is to give it a regular exercise, and you will also benefit from the fact that activity can boost levels of good cholesterol in your system.

Photo by Paul Pellerito

Avoiding High Cholesterol Foods

Most people develop problems with cholesterol when it comes to snack time and at dinnertime. These are the two times when people most often choose dishes that that are high cholesterol foods. You can rectify the situation by making healthy substitutions in addition to being diligent about your snacking routine. Snacking can actually be of great benefit if you do it properly, and it’s one of the things you will have to master if you really want to make a dent in your cholesterol. Make sure to choose healthy options and in this way you will control your hunger and make it less likely that you will overeat high cholesterol foods during dinner or lunch.

Cholesterol Lowering Foods

Salmon and fiber are two very simple things that can help you to lower cholesterol, and they are easy to incorporate into a regular menu plan. You can enjoy fiber during breakfast and it comes in many delicious forms contrary to popular belief. Salmon is a great alternative to red meat and it is filled with healthy omega-3 fatty acids that happen to be great for your skin as well. As always, make sure to keep an eye on overall nutrition and don’t fall for fat-free diet plans that might not have anything to do with lowering cholesterol. It will always be important to get foods high in iron, plenty of calcium, and nutrients from all four food groups.

There are no easy answers or miracles but if you stay true to a healthy diet your body will respond naturally. Keep in touch with your doctor to stay on top of the situation and play an active role in your own overall health.

Would you believe that spicy food, especially chili peppers, have monumental physical and mental health benefits? It’s true. If used regularly as part of your diet you may experience better moods, be more alert, get sick less often and even increase your life expectancy.

Chili Peppers contain significant quantities of vitamin C; 91mg. per ¼ cup of fresh peppers. The red peppers (not the green) also have high concentrations of beta-carotene. The heat from any type of hot pepper triggers the pain receptors in your mouth, which turns on the feel-good endorphins in the brain. This decreases feeling of stress or depression, and is a great way to end or begin a day on the job. Splash some hot pepper sauce on your eggs.

People in countries that regularly eat hot and spicy foods have a much lower incidences of everything from cancer to thrombosis (blood clots).

The chemical in chili peppers that give them their heat is called Capsaicin. It is shown to:

• Lower ‘bad’ cholesterol
• Stop cancer cell growth in the laboratory
• Increase endorphins in the brain (endorphins are mood enhancers)
• Increase metabolic rate – thereby increasing weight loss
• Act as a blood thinner and breaks down clots
• Lower Triglycerides
• Aid in digestion
• Reduce nerve pain (arthritis, psoriasis, shingles)
• Some even saw improvement in their bad acne.

Capsaicin is measured in parts/million. This is translated into Scoville units. For perspective on how this works; A Sweet Green Pepper has 0 Scoville units, the hottest known chili pepper, the habanero, averages 250,000 Scoville units.

The health benefits are can be enjoyed in fresh, dried, ground or pickled chili peppers, as well as in the powdered version or in a hot pepper sauce.

Turmeric, a relative of Capsaicin, is found in Curry Powder. Curry’s name comes from the chemical Curcuma which is found in the Turmeric and gives the bright yellow color. Curcuma has shown importance in several areas:

• Removes plaque deposits in the brain which may help with Alzheimer’s disease
• Reduce inflammation
• Aids in muscle repair

According to the University of South Carolina researchers, athletes should eat foods containing curry for a few days before a game.

Adding spice to food makes whatever dish you are preparing more satisfying for a longer period of time, which makes it a great all natural and healthy diet aid.

As people age they lose some of their ability to taste, just like hearing or eyesight loss. That’s why many times they use more and more salt which, of course, carries its own health risks. Using strong spices and peppers in their food preparation may help increase their enjoyment of food and lead to less salt use.

If you are unfamiliar with the different types of peppers and their heat indexes, try some Anaheim Peppers from California first. These are the most popular pepper sold in the U.S. Their Scoville units range from 100 to 10,000 units. Ones grown in California tend to be milder than the ones found in New Mexico.

There are many ways to eat them and lots of recipes can be found on the internet to give you new ideas for spicing up your healthy meals.